Adam West, The actor who appeared in the first Batman TV series in 1960 died two days ago at the age of 88. To many of the present generation, Batman can only mean the likes of Christian Bale and of course George Clooney before him, but the caped crusader has a screen history way back to 1960 and that was when Adam West rose from a nonexistent name to one the most popular television actor of that particular time. Adam West was the first Batman on television. Here are 10 facts about Adam West.
Before Adam West started acting, he worked as an island tour guide in Hawaii. Previous to going to Hawaii, he worked as a milkman in Walla Walla, Washington where he was raised.
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Adams movie debut was in Voodoo Island (1957) where he played a weather station operator. His role was unaccredited. He was also chosen to be the host of a two-hour weekday show with a diaper wearing chimp named Peaches. The show held in Hawaii was a kiddie program named the Kini Popo Show.
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One of the main facts about Adam West is his name. He was actually born William West Anderson, but after the Kini Popo show and several more roles, he moved to Hollywood in 1959. He then changed his name to Adam West because he said he like the name Adam and that it sounded good with his middle name “West”
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Just before he was chosen for his role as Batman, he acted alongside The Three Stooges in the last ever feature film “The Outlaw is coming” shot in 1965.
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West was shooting for a Nestle commercial promoting Nestle Quik. While playing Captain Quik, a James Bond type character in a sailor's cap, he was noticed by Batman producer William Dozier who approached him for the role. His contract was signed on the spot. He was also given the chance to choose who would play his sidekick Robin. West chose Burt Ward, a brown belt karate expert who knew nothing of acting. The year was 1965 and West was 37.
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Till 1965, he was always a journeyman actor who none relay recognized. Batman was aired on ABC television in 1966 and West instantly became a household name.
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Among his most prized possessions is a drawing of Batman by the comic's creator Bob Kane with the inscription “To my buddy Adam, who breathed life into my pen and creation.”
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He was drafted into the Army where he served as an announcer on the American armed forces network Television. He had also worked as the station manager at Stanford where he studied as a graduate student.
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After Batman’s successful run, it soon lost popularity and was ultimately canceled. West was offered to play James Bond in Diamonds are Forever by producer Albert Broccoli but he declined saying the role was best suited to an Englishman as Bond was an English character.
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Among facts about Adam West, when he did not get the role of Thomas Wayne in Tim Burton’s Batman of 1989, he cried for almost an hour. Adam West died after a short struggle with leukemia. May his soul rest in peace.
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